Please Help - White Spots On Fish

[Sarah_Ayr]

Please help. I have just got home to find that 4 of my fish are covered in little white spots. One of my Black Phantoms, one of my clown loach, one of my black mollys and my black red tailed shark.

My shark is also acted really off. He's usually darting all over the tank and he's just staying on the bottom staying still. When I fed them (just before I noticed) a bit of food hit him on the face and he barely flinched.

Please help, what do I need to do? How did this happen?

 

[jaycat]

someone experienced will be along soon to help, in mean time post size of tank, all water perameters,eg PH amonia, nitrite and nitrate. Temperature.

 

[WILDER]

Water stats would be good in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
The fish have whitespot if the spots are the size of grains of salt.
Raise temp to 30.
Increase aeration in the tank with the high temp and med,
Remove black carbon from filter if you use it.
Read instructions carefully on the whitespot med, as sometimes you have to half dose with scaless fish.

 

[Sarah_Ayr]

It's a 70 litre tank, I added the black mollies (5) and the black red tailed shark (1) last weekend. I was told this would be find, but I then read that this made my tank overloaded. Do you think this may have caused it?

It's 22:55 on a sunday so I have no way to get medication until the morning. The temp in the tank is 82.6f, I have read that I should increase this up to 86f to make the process move quicker so that the infection drops from the fish and I can then kill it.

I don't have the nitrate and amonia levels as I was never advised by anyone when buying this tank that I should get a kit that does this. I have only had the tank around 1.5 - 2 months. I also added a live plant last weekend.

 

[WILDER]

The tanks to small for a red tailed shark they need 40 gallon tanks.
I would take it back to the lfs when the fish have recovered from whitespot.
Raise temp now to 30.
Must get the med tomorrow as whitespot can be a fast killer.
I would advise buying a master liquid test kit in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

 

[Sarah_Ayr]

I told the woman at the aquarium how big my tank was and she said it would be fine. Just shows you can't trust some people to actually know what they are doing.

Are you able to take fish back? I'm not bothered about getting my money back for him, but I wasn't sure you were able to do this.

I will go and raise the temp now and get the medicine first thing in the morning along with a test kit.

Thank you for your help.

It doesn't look like my clown loach will survive as he has lost all colour. This has literally happened in what seems like over night as yesterday they all seemed fine and were swimming around happy and I didn't see any spots.

 

[WILDER]

Clown loaches aswell, they need large tanks as they get bigger 90 gallons.
Plus clown loaches need to be kept in groups to be happy.
Clown laoches are prone to whitespot and it can kill them fast, you need to half dose with clown loaches, so read instuctions carefuly.
I would find another lfs as they have advised you badly about your stocking.

 

[WILDER]

A good clown loach article for you to read.
http/www.bollmoraakvarieklubb.org/artikl...own%20loach.htm

 

[Sarah_Ayr]

Thank you Wilder for the article. I have just read it from top to bottom and feel like I know a lot more. In order to keep my clown loach I believe I will have to get a bigger tank as it is unfair to keep them in a tank that is too small.

I am so annoyed at my LSF for not giving me the correct information. I feel like I should go back and let them know what has happened.

Thank you again for your help. I will do my best to keep all my fish alive and healthy.

One more question. Is it best to buy a new tank and put them straight into that and look after them from there, or keep them in the old tank and treat them and move them once they have recovered?

 

[WILDER]

When setting a new tank up you just remove everything from the old tank to the new.
The filter will be bigger in a larger tanks so just add the old sponges to the new filter.
Also take a much water as possible from the old tank, as if you use all new water you will have to wait till the bubbles on the tank glass have disappeared.
Match ph and temp when adding fish.
Good luck.